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SCOTT MITCHELL, QMI Agency

Mar 17, 2013

, Last Updated: 12:51 AM ET

Over the last 12 months, the National Hockey League has been dealing with bigger problems.

But oh-so quietly, Gary Bettman’s league has spent time lobbying the Canadian government to kill a proposed change to the criminal code that would see single-game sports betting legalized across the country.

New Jersey knows all-too-well what can happen when professional sports leagues with major clout get involved, as it’s currently embroiled in a court battle with the four Goliaths — the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB — and the federal government.

North of the border, a bill that was once seen as a slam dunk, could now be on thin ice.

“We are strongly opposed to the bill, and we have made that position clear to the Senate,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said this week via e-mail.

But why are they opposed? That’s the question.

One recently retired NHL veteran who did not want to be named said he has never gambled on hockey — even now — but sees no reason why people sh